Diamonds are Forever
by Victine Shadow
Summary: Lance leaves the Indigo Plateau abruptly. Blue goes missing. Talk about a certain mystical diamond begins to fly around...some people will stop at nothing for diamonds. Some Luckyshipping.
1. Chapter 1

"What do you mean, he's not here?"

Will threw a look at Karen. He supposed that now she was the most senior member at the Indigo Plateau, he would have to get permission from her first. Secretly, he was hoping that she wold take charge of the situation. He had never felt comfortable dealing with these young upstarts who pestered you for as long as it takes to hatch a Chansey egg.

Karen sighed, "As in he's gone away."

"Aren't champions supposed to give advanced notice?"

"It was an emergency."

"What emergency?" That came from Will. He personally had never been told why exactly Lance had disappeared all of a sudden. And for most part it seemed like the others weren't feeling obliged to tell him.

"Not here," Karen muttered, rubbing her forehead and turning her back to an irate young trainer. She led Will firmly by the arm past the double doors and down the corridor into her own chambers.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "He said that there's some sort of emergency in Lance's family - you know, the Dragyns. In truth, I think he may have gone to the Dragon's Den, though he's said nothing about it. But - " she lowered her voice and made Will lean forward to catch her words " - all of this is a little suspicious. The Dragyn family are awfully powerful, influential and ambitious. Recently I heard that they were searching for some - some precious thing or the other that a few other people are keen on getting their hands on as well, and I quite sure Lance would know about it - maybe involved in it."

"I see," Will breathed.

"So there you are," said Karen, turning away. "I'd like to know what's_ really _going on, too. But no one here seems to know."

* * *

"Have you seen a young brunette? About five foot tall, slim, seventeen-year-old girl?"

The old man shook his head. Red let out a faint hiss of frustration and gestured to Yellow. "Let's go."

"Have we asked all the residents in the area?"

"Yes," Red replied, reaching up one hand to brush off the raindrops around the rim of his hand. "It's just ridiculous. Gone for three days without notice, we tracked her to here and she seems to have vanished into thin air! Where could she have gone?"

"Maybe she's just delayed, or pulling our legs," said Yellow hopefully. She blinked as a couple of raindrops stung her face.

"It can't be! She promised she'd call us with the PokeNav every two hours without fail, and she has, in fact, up till now. Three days without a word. I can only pray she's not hurt and not in serious danger."

"What was it that she said she was tracking again?"

"The Ameridian Diamond," Red said from between a clenched jaw. "God knows why she has to get herself involved with this stuff."

The rain pounded down mercilessly as Red and Yellow headed out of Blackthorn City towards the rocky cliffs that surrounding the idyllic mountain retreat.

"The Dragon's Den?" Yellow mused quietly to herself.

* * *

"Careful," Shadow warned. "Lots of damp plant growth here. And good grief, what a smell."

"I thought they'd clean this place. It being where they live and all."

"Only the innermost chambers, the chambers where only those with dragon blood - including the Dragyn family - can enter. This - well, this is one of the secret entrances most commonly used by young Dratinis and the like. And obviously they don't clean up where they've been to," Shadow told Silver.

The redhead frowned and inched along the narrow stone tunnel. "Is the only secret entrance around here?"

"Nope. Explored the places fully, and there are about a dozen, at least. But this is the quietest. With the other tunnels, they may be wider, but they're full of Aerodactyls and other small flying buggers. Startle one and you'll never hear the end of it - literally. And especially if the Dragyn Elders are holding a meeting, all of them will be on full alert. This one here is the safest that I've found."

The two teenagers slipped and slid and found themselves looking down into an enormous polished marble hall, with a dome ceiling at least five storeys high. The tunnel, in fact, had led to the rim of the ceiling. Humans and dragon-types alike congregated around a huge table, with a few Flygons and Altarias swooping and circling the throng. Shadow eased out of the tunnel and tiptoed on the rim, her back pressed against the ceiling, to let Silver get a view of the scene. He noticed that many of the Dragyns around the table were white-haired old men with beards of varying lengths, and also thought he'd spotted a redhead sitting arms-folded next to a bulky Dragonite, and also a blue-haired trainer with high boots.

As soon as Shadow had managed to regain her balance perching on the ceiling edge, one of the Dragyn Elders - the one with the longest beard - stood up, cleared his throat, and began to speak.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dragyns," the Elder began, "as some of you might recall, we held a similar, but smaller meeting but a few weeks ago." A soft murmur rose from the throng. "Concerning our search for a jewel. The Ameridian Diamond."

An awed hush fell over the room. Even the Pokemon became silent, tense, waiting for the Elder to continue. Evidently everyone knew just how important this was.

Shadow felt her knees trembling and buckling. _I can't hold on for much longer!_

"The Diamond." The Elder paused deliberately. "This stone is not only unique and priceless, but it has a legend attached to it. To the average person, merely a legend, perhaps. But to us, it holds a greater meaning.

"The Ameridian Diamond was said to be born from the blood of an ancient dragon, one of the ancestors of all dragons, that was slew by the Great Magician Amerid. As the dragon's blood - as you all know how corrosive ancient dragon fluids are - fell onto the patch of rock and precious stones, he sealed the blood away into the largest diamond. He left the diamond where it was. Many years later, one of our own ancestors found it while searching in this very Den, and was given magical powers. He took it with him back to this very chamber. However, during a terrible fight with a number of other ruthless, powerful trainers, the diamond was lost. And it has only been until recently that reports have surfaced of its appearance.

"Some people hunt the diamond merely for its monetary value. But we know better. We know that this precious stone endows endless power to those who come into contact. If we manage to regain the Ameridian Diamond, the Dragyns will be invincible! We shall have power that is unrivalled by any!" the Elder said, his voice coming to a crescendo. "We shall rise! The Dragyns and dragons alike will rule the skies once more!"

The whole assembly broke into a roar of joy, clapping and excited yells. The dragon-type Pokemon flittered and swooped about, exhilarated. The Elder was quietly pleased, stroking his beard, before lifting his hand to call for quiet once more.

"Indeed, we _are_ invincible now! Only but a day ago we managed to pry our diamond from the hands of a petty thief, who is currently incarcerated in one of the deeper chambers. And only just now were we able to prove it was _the _diamond,_ the_ one and only diamond. All of us shall be able to gain power from it in due time - patience, my friends, but we shall gain the power, and we shall rise! We all shall rise! And no one can stop us!"

* * *

After an arduous trek through the Dragon's Den, Yellow felt prepared to keen over and just give up. She sat down on one of the flatter rocks near a wall and watched as Red paced restlessly back and forth, eyes darting everywhere, searching for clues.

_He's so desperate to find Blue_, she thought. _Would he be anywhere near that desperate if I was the one missing?_

Rain trickled down the cave walls through cracks in the ceiling. The already dim light was steadily fading as evening fell, and Yellow wondered how much longer they could - would stay for before they had to turn back. They couldn't stay the night here, could they? Would they?

All of a sudden, Red paused, then darted away down the tunnel. He returned with a battered white hat in hand.

"Recognise this?"

"Blue's hat?"

Red nodded, his face darkening.

"Where could she be?"

"Pray to Arceus that she's alright," Red muttered.

* * *

"There's an opening. Over there. Wide enough for a Pidgeot and passenger to get through."

"What?"

"There," Shadow gestured quickly. "Go. There." She pressed a Pokeball into his hand. "Take him."

"Why? What for?" Silver was puzzled, but took the ball.

"Just do it." Shadow's voice was oddly flat, calm and low-toned. Her eyes were transfixed on something else that Silver hadn't noticed.

Silver decided to comply, slithering along the edge of the ceiling rim, until he reached the large cracked hole in the wall. A glance backwards told him - curiously - that Shadow hadn't moved an inch.

"Go," she mouthed.

"Fly, Pidgeot," Silver commanded, and the Bird Pokemon carried him through the slick wet tunnel. Almost immediately two Aerodactyls launched themselves on him, furiously flapping at him, crying raucously. Clinging desperately to Pidgeot's feathers, he urged it forward as the two ancient fossil Pokemon darted at its heels.

* * *

Shadow had already noticed the Dratini that had spotted them slide off the rim of the roof to raise the alarm. Not prepared to wait quietly, the dark girl leap down from the roof, flipped twice and landed square in the centre of the table.

A shocked cry rose from all the occupants in the room. Shadow straightened herself up and said, with a very slight smile, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen."


	3. Chapter 3

"When do you think the rain will end?" Yellow asked, not really expecting an answer. But someone had to break the dead silence, and Red, who was pacing around incessantly, didn't like he would do so anytime soon. The torrents that pounded down over the whole of Blackthorn had forced them to retreat and beg shelter from a kindly old couple who had taken pity on the bedraggled teenagers. Red had been so reluctant to leave the Dragon's Den that Yellow nearly had to physically haul all the way down - thankfully, the icy rain had helped to persuade the boy somewhat. Even now, as Yellow sat in the couple's kitchen, glad to be out of the heavy thundering curtain of water, and watched Red move back and forth - almost tirelessly - she couldn't help wondering if he would have been happier outside right now, still searching for Blue.

_Does he care for anyone else apart from her? _Might_ he?_

Yellow noticed that his raven-black hair was still fairly damp, realizing that he still hadn't bothered to dry himself off properly ever since he had come in from the rain.

"You're mad," she muttered, accidentally letting her thoughts slip.

"What?"

Yellow sighed, "Nothing."

"Still up, my dearies?" the elderly woman proclaimed as she entered the kitchen to see the two teens not yet asleep. "We've vacated one of the upstairs rooms, and you needn't feel awkward, it's got separate, and we can even get the sofa ready if one of you prefers - "

"No, thanks," Yellow said. "We - um - we're fine. We'll go to bed later."

"Really? Well, don't stay up too long, and turn off the lights after you," the lady said jovially before leaving, reminding Yellow of her parents. Once again, she couldn't help feeling a _teeny_ little bit homesick.

"How much longer is this going to take?" she muttered under her breath.

"Hmm?" Red swung his head in her direction.

Yellow replied quickly, "Nothing."

"Are you thinking of giving up?"

"N-no..." Yellow whispered, lowering her head self-consciously. She didn't dare voice how she felt that they might a little more headway reporting it to the authorities rather than embarking on this wild-goose chase herself. But Red would kill her for suggesting that, she was sure. And, of course, Blue was her _friend_. She ought to find her.

The boy eyed her closely. "Good, because I don't think I will."

There was something about Red's tone that made Yellow shiver slightly. She studied the fine grain of the wooden kitchen table, wondering - and at the same not really wanting to know - the extent of Red's feelings towards Blue.

* * *

The light at the end of the tunnel was faint, but it was growing stronger by the minute as the determined Pidgeot kept flapping towards it, in spite of a couple of persistent Aerodactyl still snapping at its heels.

"Keep going," Silver urged Pidgeot in a low voice. "Please boy, please."

Finally! The Bird Pokemon burst out of the dank tunnel and into a fresh torrent of rain. The Aerodactyl, not used to being out of the caves, dispersed as quickly as they had begun their chase, flying away and back into their dark home.

Silver released a breath he hadn't realized he had be holding. Pidgeot gently glided down to a grassy patch at the foot of the caves, allowing Silver to dismount and stagger on unsteady legs.

Now there remained only one thing left. Shadow. How was she? Would she be able to get out? Could she?

Silver turned back to face the imposing cliffside and the caves, a terrifying giant against the sheets of rain. He didn't like the thought of having to go back in there again.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Shadow rather relished the feeling of looking into the incredulous Dragyn Elder's wrinkled face as he gaped at her. She looked round to see all the other members of her so-called extended family - not that she had really thought of them as her family - and grinned, "Hi, guys. Haven't seen you all for quite a long time. Hello, Lance,"she went on, citing her stepbrother, who looked on the verge of having a heart attack; and then with a "Hey, Claire" proceeded to make her step cousin turn redder than a tomato. Several older members of the Dragyn family frowned, and one even made a grab for her, but the table was so wide that she could stay safe in the centre.

"You - what - get off!" an elder growled, banging his staff on the ground and send two Axews scampering away.

"Why?"

The elder's face was purple as he shook a finger at her and choked out, "You - you - you have no place here!"

"Am I not?" Shadow retorted insolently. Naturally, she knew very well that they didn't consider her a Dragyn - she was only a stepchild, after all, and a particularly unpleasant one at that. It had mostly been because of her mother, a wily, ruthless woman who had made off with a considerable chunk of the Dragyn fortune, and by such, the family's hostility had passed onto Shadow. It would have been just fine for the Dragyns to bully a meek girl into leaving their lives once and for all; with Shadow it was another matter. No matter what you threw at her, she would always find a way to throw it back twice as hard - especially when you weren't looking. Thus only made it less pleasant for the Dragyns to encounter.

"You are NOT!" the elder thundered, and his Dragonite bounded across the table and bowled the girl right over. She rolled over to absorb the shock, consciously reminding herself to stay calm and limp. It would hurt less, she told herself. Besides, there was no point in trying to pit physical strength against a fully-evolved Dragon-type such as that.

Almost immediately the other Dragon-types launched themselves at her, clawing and nipping, as their trainers leapt up and rallied them on. Those that did not shout - most of the elders, who were too reserved, some who felt less hostile towards Shadow, like Lance and Claire - merely folded their arms and watched in stony silence.

Eventually, the elder with the longest white beard held up his hand and called for quiet. The crowd of Pokemon that had surrounded Shadow finally broke up, leaving the bruised and battered teen to attempt to prop herself feebly, to no success.

"Take her away," was the order.

Once again, Shadow was reminded of why exactly she hated the Dragyns so much. They were so proud, so insufferable, and so ruthless. Whoever who had 'escorted' her to one of the dark dank rooms serving as a dungeon could well have put steel cuffs on her and tightened them deliberately. She was sure she wouldn't be able to write again in a month.

They flung her in without a second word. The floor was slippery and sticky with moss, stale water and other stuff she did not want to inspect slowly. In the darkness, she had a faint sense of another living creature in there with her. A Pokemon? Another unfortunate victim?

The other person seemed to have sensed her presence as well. "Who's there?"

Shadow turned in the direction of the voice in surprise - it was one she knew very well. "Hang on - is that you?"


	4. Chapter 4

I hope this will be done soon. A break of three weeks then it's another long hiatus...

* * *

"Blue?"

There was a nervous pause. Then, "Who are you?"

"Shadow."

"You too? How - why did they get you as well?"

"They're not very fond of me. Apparently I ruined the sanctity of some important meeting or the other."

"They've been at it for ages. As long as I've been here. Yelling all the time. Arguing, mostly, in the other rooms - I mean caves," Blue said, and then made a sound as if she had stepped into a puddle. "God, this place is awful! They're such a bunch of sadistic - cr - cretins! I mean - "

"How long have you been in here?"

"Couple of days, I think. Can't tell, there's no light and it's so damn _suffocating_ in here! And wet, so I can hardly sleep. I was trekking through these caves, looking for the - " she broke off abruptly, coughing twice, and then said, "Just minding my own business really. Who knows why they're so - so - "

"Not surprising if you tried to take the diamond they were looking for," Shadow remarked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

She imagined Blue leaping up in shock. A splash and the scattering of water droplets, followed by momentary silence, told her she was right.

"H-how do you know?"

"I just do," Shadow replied. She tried to imagine what her friend's face might look like. It was such a pity she couldn't see Blue's priceless expression.

Blue stammered, "But - how - what - " then paused and tried to regain composure. "Fine, as you like it," she muttered, slightly guarded. "You haven't - well - seen any of our friends, have you?"

"Silver came with me. He's gone now."

"Is he? Is he alright?"

"Of course." For once Shadow was tempted to reply "No" and get Blue's knickers in a twist, knowing fully well how much Blue cared for the boy she thought of as her younger brother.

"Where's he?"

"Do you think I would know?"

"Then how do you know - "

"Well, as far as I know, he isn't, and is unlikely to be imprisoned by the Dragyns. That should be enough to qualify for 'alright'."

There was a moment of silence. Then, Blue muttered grudgingly, "Fine then."

They lapsed into quiet. Then Blue whispered, all of a sudden, "D'you feel that?"

"What? The damp, or the Dragonair slithering on the floor?"

"Of course it's the - the - dammit!" The brunette held her breath as the sinuous serpentine beast wrapped itself around her leg.

Shadow just smirked. _Lance's Dragonair_. "He's not going to eat you," she said, reaching down to feel around the Dragonair's head. Her fingers connected with a small, hard, angular object attached to the Dragon Pokemon's neck. _Good. He hasn't forgotten._

"How many more of these things are there?" Blue huffed as she disconnected the Dragonair from her foot.

"You'd better get used to it," Shadow replied, slipping the tiny object into her pocket. "I'd advise you to start feeling around these walls. There's bound to be some way out of here."

* * *

"Have any of you seen a slim brunette girl?"

They were back again in the Dragon's Den, with a tireless Red and a very tired Yellow questioning about every trainer in sight. Half of them, Yellow noted, weren't even locals, and were unlikely to have been here four days ago. The rest - almost all of them Dragon trainers, barely looked in the mood to answer anything. They were all peeved, like that had missed out on something vitally important.

All the same, the blonde didn't feel eager to point this out to Red. She suspected he would not have been particularly pleased.

She turned slightly to notice a couple of trainers, heads together, muttering to themselves. They had been shooting intermittent glances at the two young adventurers until they noticed Yellow staring at them.

_Must be members of the Dragyn family._ She'd heard how enormous and extensive the familial network was.

And suddenly, she tensed. Instinct - or perhaps her own telepathic powers kicking in - told her that, somehow, they should be on their guard. Someone, somewhere, somehow did not want them here...

"Red."

"What?" he responded, breaking off from grilling a small and over-adventurous scout.

"Have you noticed anything - unusual?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Danger - menace - that sort of thing?"

"Not really." He let out a hiss of frustration as the scout took his chance and bolted away. "Why does she seemed to have vanished into thin air? It's like no one knows, no one cares..."

They ventured deeper into the cave, deeper than they had gone, as Red continued his rant. Yellow began to have a creeping sense of discomfort, nervously aware of the tight spaces and the few dark trainers following them.

"You know," she began testily, "it wouldn't be a bad idea if - "

A hard tap on the back of the head ensured she never finished the sentence.

* * *

Well. I'm not sure how to treat this fic. Abandon it? Continue? Not like there's much point...


	5. Chapter 5

To my reviewers: Thank you very much for your encouragement. I'll try to get this done in...two or three chapters.

* * *

"Well?"

"Feel's like there's a tunnel up there. Need a bit more of a push."

"Dammit, you know - " Shadow bit her lip, tempted to let go of the slick mossy cave walls. "Better?"

"Yep. There we are," Blue said, sliding into the entrance, before squeezing herself around with a tricky manoeurvre to face the girl clinging onto the walls below her. "Need help?"

"What do you think?" Shadow growled. The brunette reached out to aid the dark-haired girl haul herself over the edge to sit on the tunnel entrance. Like the rest of the cave, it was damp, slimy and occasionally lined with living creatures.

"Ah! Another - Dratini?" Blue shifted as something wound itself around her arm.

"Ignore it," her fellow prisoner muttered. She glanced down the tunnel. "Hope this leads somewhere. Preferably out - oh look, there's light. Good."

She slid herself into the narrow tunnel, cautiously reaching out one hand before her. "Seem's firm enough." Half-shifting, half-slithering, she inched along, eyes flickering from side to side to check for anymore unwanted inhabitants in the vicinity. Blue soon followed.

"I wonder where this goes," the brunette murmured, half to herself.

* * *

"Another two prisoners."

Yellow opened her eyes to be greeted with the sight of an ancient, albeit terrifyingly livid senior citizen. "And how do they come into this?" the elder hissed.

One of the trainers gripping Yellow's arms painfully behind her back replied, "They were asking about that brunette girl we locked up earlier. Her friends probably. Seems that she told them of what she was doing and where she'd been - or somehow, they'd figured that - "

The elder cut him off with an irritated snarl. "How in the name of Arceus did they - " he spat as his beard trembled with the force of his words. "D'you realize that the whole of Kanto could know of this? How did it get out? We swore everyone - _everyone_ - to absolute secrecy! How - " he swept the room full of nervous trainers with a powerful gaze. "Who - who did it?"

Yellow tried to get a grip on her surroundings. Everything was a bit dark - was it the lack of light in here, or just her swimming head playing tricks on her? They seemed to be within an enormous dim cave, which was filled to its brim with Dragon-types and Dragon trainers. _So this is the famed Dragyn family._ Beside her, Red, who was also restrained by a couple of well-built trainers, stirred slightly.

"WHO?"

Most of the occupants of the room suddenly became fascinated with the cave they were in, studying the floor, roof, walls and bits of moss. Very few held their ground and stayed looking at the elder - their senior or their leader, it seemed.

The bearded elder had lapsed into a kind of angry silence, leaving his younger relatives to dwell in uneasiness. "Well then," he finally said, through clenched teeth. "How did anyone apart from us get to know it in the first place? Hm?"

* * *

The narrow tunnel widened into a spacious flat platform of rock, its roof tapering away to form part of the incredibly high but porous cave roof. Shadow surveyed the situation with some sort of dry humour.

"If I remember correctly," she said, motioning to several holes of varying sizes in the platform, "You can actually use those holes to look down into - and in some cases, actually drop down into one of the many rooms in this huge network."

"How do you know?" Blue asked in amazement. She crawled over to one of the holes, leaning over to take a peek. "Oh look - they've stored several Pokeballs in the chamber here. Maybe there's where mine are. I hope they're okay. The beasts - they just _had_ to take them away."

"I used to investigate these parts a lot," the raven-haired girl replied vaguely. She didn't feel obliged to delve into the details of her childhood. "Would you like to use a Draognair?"

"What do you mean?"

Shadow extended one arm. In the faint light seeping in through the dotted gaps in the roof, Blue caught a glimpse of a pale aqua serpent wound around her friend's limb.

She leaned backward a little. "Where'd you get that from?"

Shadow shrugged. "Lots of them around."

"Will it listen to you? Won't it just - I don't know, slither off, or go fetch its trainer?"

The response was a wry smile. "We have ways of handling these creatures." _Except that you don't know that I know none of them, and you don't know that its trainer has taught it to obey me for a very special purpose._

Shadow lay flat on her stomach next to the hole leading into the room where the Pokeballs were kept. Coaxing the Dragonair, she got it to squeeze itself down the hole, while muttering some sort of strange language. Blue watched, mystified. Up the creature came again, like a fishing line surfacing a pool, gripping a Pokeball in its mouth.

"Blasty!" Blue whispered, gratefully taking the object from the Dragonair. "My Blastoise! It's alright."

The Dragonair slipped down the hole again, winding and unwinding itself several times, each time bringing up a Pokeball. Both girls were quick to clip their prized possession to their belts.

Then, with the Dragonair still around her arm and partly trailing on the ground, Shadow slid over to a hole about twenty feet away. "Now look at that," she said, gazing down at the hole.

"What?" Blue hurried across, craning her neck to see below.

In the middle of the room, surrounded by several Dragon-type Pokemon, and four surly guards, was a clear, shimmering object that radiated in spite of the inadequate lighting.

Blue breathed, "The Diamond."

* * *

Silver stared up at the imposing cliffs that made up the northern face of the Dragon's Den. Ascent to the tunnel about fifteen feet off the ground, then through the slimy passage into...into wherever it led to. Probably to the centre chamber. After a day of partial surveying of the landscape and partial aimless wandering, he hoped he had grasped a good enough knowledge of the Den.

Quietly, he released Shadow's Pidgeot from its Pokeball, and climbed onto its back. "Go, boy."

* * *

"Lock them away," the elder ordered. Yellow and Red were hauled away unceremoniously. Neither put up much of a fight - there was no point really. And perhaps, Red thought, this was where Blue was kept. After all, it appeared they were responsible for her "disappearance", and with luck, she might still be alive. If only...

They were dragged to another imposing chamber in the network of caves. Metal bars and a door had been fashioned into the rock to form some sort of cell. One of the trainers went forward, eyes narrowed.

"The prisoners..."

The near-black cell was silent but for the repetitive drip of stale water.

Another trainer took a step forward, then recoiled almost immediately.

"The prisoners! The prisoners have escaped!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Hold on a sec," Shadow instructed. Nudging Blue away, she had the Dragonair slip down the hole silently.

"Hang on, won't they - "

"Shush," was the hissed response. The girl gripped the serpent's tail, as the aqua creature disappeared bit by bit, with a fierce intensity, her lips moving soundlessly and beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. The air became stiff and stale all of a sudden, and Blue held her breath. Was Shadow really trying to steal the Diamond, right here, right now? When it was being guarded by so many Pokemon and their trainers? Could she really pull it off?

After an achingly long period in which time itself seemed to have stopped, the Dragonair began slithering back out, diamond in mouth.

Shadow let out a sigh of relief, and barely managed to prise the Diamond out from the Pokemon's jaws with shaking fingers. She swiftly slipped it beneath her coat. "Quick, go!"

Blue, as if snapping out of a trance, blinked rapidly, before rising and hurrying towards one of the tunnels. Her companion released the second of her Pidgeots, getting onto its back, while the brunette ordered her Ditto to transform.

"That one," Shadow said, pointing, "leads to the main chamber, where most of the Dragyn family is. Most exits are there too."

"You mean - "

"Well, it's probably the easiest way out."

* * *

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" the elder shouted in undisguised rage.

One of the trainers restraining Red replied, trembling, "The cell was empty. N-nothing in there. They've gone."

His senior growled, "Are you sure?"

"Q-q-quite."

A small movement in the corner of her eye made Yellow incline her head. She noticed Red was trying to shift his hands out of those trainers' grip, in an attempt to reach his Pokeballs attached to his belt.

"If then - "

All of a sudden, one of the Axews let out a shrill cry, and several Dragon-types scattered, trying to avoid a shower of icy crystals.

A young Dragyn standing near Claire pointed to one of the tunnels near the ceiling and yelped, "Intruder!"

Claire immediately released one of her Dragonairs. "Dragonair, Thunder Wave! Bring the miscreant down!"

Almost instantly, however, an ice shard from a certain Weavile perched beside its master on the back of a Pidgeot stunned it. The second sharp shard made sure it couldn't get its wind back.

"Silver!" Yellow called.

The Pidgeot swooped a little lower. "You guys here too?" the redhead said. "Where're Blue and Shadow?"

"No idea. I didn't know Shadow was also - "

"Can we deal with this later?" Red interrupted, having finally struggled free of his captors, and released his Aerodactyl. "Who else is here?"

"Hey, Red!"

The raven-haired boy glanced up at the sound of this familiar voice. "Blue?"

"Who else?" another voice, dripping with sarcasm, answered.

"And Shadow too. Great, then, we can - "

"If you don't mind," Shadow said, whilst directing her Espeon to fend off a Druddigon, "we can exchange pleasantries later. Or would you prefer an extended stay in this dank place?"

Yellow nodded, getting her Butterfree to carry her up into the air as a Larvitar snapping at her heel was battered away with an Icy Wind. She looked up gratefully at Silver.

"Thank me later," he muttered. "You can get out through the tunnel over there."

Shadow waited till her companions had exited the main chamber, then turned to face the furious Dragyns. "If you must know," she said, smiling sardonically, "thank you for the Diamond."

She bolted down the tunnel as the Dragyn elder roared, "_The Diamond_? She has the Diamond?"

* * *

"On a serious note, the Dragyns aren't likely to rest at this. They'll find some way to get it back," Shadow reminded them.

"I still can't believe you managed to obtain the Diamond, just like that," Red remarked, after having listened to Blue's excited retelling of the events.

Shadow shrugged. "Keep it," she said, passing over the sparkling gem.

Yellow stared, wide-eyed. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "Don't you want to keep it?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"We could bring it to Professor Oak," Blue suggested.

"Good idea," Red said. "And then we'd have to find some way of protecting it."

"Then you'll have to hurry," Shadow told them, with a backward glance. "I'll just check that there's no one following. Don't wait for me."

"Hang on - " Yellow protested, but the dark girl had already dropped out of sight.

"Wonder what she's up to?" Silver murmured.

* * *

Shadow waited under the cover of the forest till she was sure the others couldn't see her. Then, quietly, she ordered her Pidgeot to double back. Heading towards the east of Blackthorn, she soon found the agreed meeting spot.

"Well done."

Shadow smiled as she dismounted. "Thank you."

"And the Diamond?"

"Here, brother," she said as she opened her palm to reveal the Ameridian Diamond - the _real_ Diamond.

Lance gently lifted the radiant, mystical object. "Wonderful. Now the plans for an utopia, a true utopia where Pokemon can never be hurt can be put into place."

"It's mostly thanks to Dragonair. He's so well-trained."

"Still, it takes much teamwork and skill to steal a replica."

"Just as it was, I'm sure, to steal the original and switch it for a fake."

"That was easy - it was done long before they actually began to guard the so-called Diamond. It was only that I couldn't get it away from there nor get myself out. All along they've been looking after a replica - and they call themselves experts. Such a pity to have a family like this - so bright and with such high ideals, yet with such lack of true vision. Though someone might have wisened up on this eventually."

"So it had to disappear sooner or later. Brilliant plan of yours. Mind you, those silly young trainers could have made things tricky."

The lean redhead shrugged. "Who cares? They haven't so far. In fact, they've been a bit of a godsend, giving me the perfect excuse to get out of there. Besides, I assume that you've offloaded the replica to them, so my excellent relatives will be chasing after them."

"Of course."

"Good. Now the utopia..."

* * *

Well, that was quick. Thank you all for reading/reviewing.


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